Why Human Evolution Is Over

Why human evolution is over, according to Professor Steve Jones (Times Online, 7 October 2008). Evolutionary geneticist Steve Jones of University College London has given a lecture entitled “Human Evolution is Over”. The reasons given by Jones are a decrease in the number of mutations being passed on due to fewer older fathers, and a weakening of natural selection. He explained, “In ancient times half our children would have died by the age of 20. Now, in the Western world, 98 per cent of them are surviving to 21.”

He also says the constant mixing between previously isolated people groups has a stagnating effect on evolution. He commented “Small populations which are isolated can evolve at random as genes are accidentally lost. World-wide, all populations are becoming connected and the opportunity for random change is dwindling. History is made in bed, but nowadays the beds are getting closer together. We are mixing into a global mass, and the future is brown.”

Editorial Comment: All these recent changes to human society are true, but none of them have anything to do with evolution from apes to people, or people evolving into anything else. We also wonder what Steve Jones would like to happen in order to keep evolution going – an increase in mutation caused diseases, or a return to the bad old days when children died before reaching maturity?

Jones’ idea reminds us that the processes that are supposed to make evolution happen are actually degenerative processes that cause death and disease. Furthermore, his idea is not new. It is an idea that was floating around when the editors of this newsletter were first researching the creation evolution issue 30 years ago. It was used as an excuse to our challenges as to why evolution cannot be seen in the world today. We considered it a poor excuse then, and it still is. If evolution is not being observed in the world today, belief in it is by faith, not science. (Ref. Philosophy, theory, anthropology)